KELTY HEARTS face a "test" when they travel to Stenhousemuir on Saturday as they attempt to bounce back from being knocked off League One's top spot.

And their player / manager, Michael Tidser, says he's "not lost any faith" in how he wants his side to play following their loss to Montrose, whilst aiming to build on a strong opening quarter of the campaign, which saw them pick up 15 points from nine matches.

The New Central Park outfit began the second round of fixtures by dropping from the summit to third, with a third league defeat of the season, and head to fifth-placed Stenny aiming for a repat of their home win over the Warriors in August.

"This is football. It's never smooth, and every manager will have their gripe, and every player will have their moan, but it's about staying together," Tidser said.

READ MORE: 'Hopefully we'll learn from Montrose defeat' says Kelty boss

"I've not lost any faith in the lads in terms of who they want to play. We probably didn't play anywhere near as good today (against Montrose) as we have done through the course of the first ten games, so it's a challenge for them. It's a test.

"Can they roll their sleeves up when it gets a wee bit dirty and a wee bit nasty? And can they play their football when it gets like this as well, play under pressure when you know Terry Masson's and Michael Gardyne and (Andrew) Steeves, they're all going to go and press you and hurry you?

"As I say, there's loads of setbacks in football, and there'll be more this season. It was like this last season as well, and I want to overcome that hurdle of not just doing well for the first quarter. Can we sustain that? Can we keep that mentality?

"I always say it, mentality is massive in football, and some of them today were a weak, weak mentality.

"I'm not saying they didn't try, because I know for a fact they do try, but it's having that wee bit between your teeth, being a bit nasty and rolling your sleeves up and saying, you know what, let's do this today.

"And, if you come away with a point, then that's the way it is, nothing lost, nothing gained, but they didn't, and I thought Montrose done it better than us and managed the game better, so that's why they're a wee home happy."

Tidser felt his side "lacked a wee bit of experience" against the Gable Endies, and said he missed out on featuring due to a calf issue picked up against Queen of the South on October 5.

He added that he was aiming to have "proper rehab" at the weekend and would assess it in the run-up to the trip to Ochilview.

Whilst Lewis Moore is "not far away" from a return, and long-term absentee, Adam Corbett, could be back "on the grass" in three or four weeks after undergoing an operation, midfielder, Liam Brown, could be out for another six to eight weeks due to groin issues.